Metal accordion



July 22, 1941.

J. A. MILLER METAL ACCORDION 2 Sheets-Sheet l N N N I i l N Q N E Q "i INVENTOR. I Jamv /7, lv/llfA.

y 1941- J. A. MILLER 2,250,131

METAL ACCORDION Filed Aug. 24, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet2 :2: III- I'vZ IIIIIIIIIIIIII;

Patented July 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METAL ACCORDION John A. Miller, De Kalb, Ill., assignor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

a corporation 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an accordion construction particularly wherein the body or Wind boxes, keybed, keys and key fingers are all formed of a suitable light metal by stamping or die casting. The primary object of the invention resides in the structural characteristics of the accordion wherein the major parts thereof may be constructed of stamped steel or cast from a light metal alloy such as magnesium or aluminum and thereby facilitate production and effect a substantial saving in cost as well as embody other advantages, as hereinafter mentioned.

The chief advantages of this construction are uniformity in production, complete absence of warpage and imperviousness to atmospheric changes in either temperature or humidity, and the provision of a solid and rigid treble keybed. The conventional accordion being primarily built up from wood is subject to warpage and atmospheric changes in addition to precluding uniformity in mass production. Whereas heretofore it has been the practice to secure by screwing, bolting or gluing the treble keybed to the treble box, such structure has never been sumciently stable or free from a certain amount of movement, due either to the pressure exerted by the player, changes in atmospheric conditions or both. By reason of this structure the treble keybed extension is stamped or cast as an integral part of the treble box and thereby eliminates the difficulties heretofore experienced in the conventional structures.

Also, the bass box is rendered more rigid and free from warpage or variations in production than in the conventional wooden bass box. Due to the fact that the bass box contains complicated bass mechanism generally having as many as 120 keys which must be perfectly aligned with the corresponding number of holes, difficulty has heretofore been experienced in avoiding variations by reason of the usual built up wooden structure and as a result of wood being a less stable material.

It is also desirable to hold to close tolerances in the bass box so that the complicated bass actions will properly fit and be interchangeable. By reason of the stamped or cast metal structure, a tremendous amount of regulation and adjustment of the bass action is avoided in the installation and fitting thereof into the bass box.

In actual practice, it is found that a light alloy, which readily permits of a suitable enamel finish, such as magnesium, is most suitable, particularly by reason of its weight. Thus the weight of a metal accordion produced therefrom is less than that of the conventional wooden structure.

In addition to the treble and bass boxes, the valve plates, keys and key fingers and also the gallery are similarly formed of cast or stamped metal.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the accordion with the reed blocks and bass action removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the treble box with the gallery and other parts removed. Fig. 3 is a :bottom plan view of a portion of the bass box with a portion of its closure plate broken away. Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 3 showing a rear elevation thereof.

In the drawings there is illustrated an accordion wherein the major parts thereof are formed of metal, preferably of steel stampings or die cast magnesium and comprising a treble box I0 having an extension I l providing a keybed, and a bass box [2. Separately formed by stamping, there is a treble valve plate 13 which is secured in place upon the treble box by the screws l4, said plate being centered and seated within a recessed portion of the treble box and supported upon the lip I5 provided thereby. A similar valve plate I6 is supported within the bass box in the same manner. About each edge of the boxes there is formed a suitable recess I? and [8, respectively,'in which the bellows H! are secured. Formed about the forward and end surfaces of the treble box there is a recess 20 for receiving the lower edge of a gallery 2| which extends over the valve plate and treble valves.

Between the ends of the keybed and extending longitudinally along the upper rear portion of the treble box there is provided a key base rail 22 provided with a plurality of parallel slots 23 spaced along its length for receiving the stamped or cast key fingers 24 and pivotally supporting them upon a pivot pin 25 extending therethrough. Each key finger is provided with an extension overlying the valve plate l3 for carrying a valve 26 secured to its free end, said valves seating over their respective ports 21. Said key finger is pivoted in its slot 23 within the base rail at 25 and is formed with an extension 28 connected by a coil spring 29 to an car 30 stamped from a cross member 3| secured between the ends of the keybed.

The key finger is provided with an angularly extending key supporting portion indicated at 32 terminating in a downwardly extending guide web 33 slidable in suitable slots formed in the guide rail 34 extending between the ends of the keybed H. Each key finger carries either a natural key 35 or a sharp key 35 pivotally secured thereto at 2-! and adjusted to proper alignment by the key level adjusting screw 38 adapted to screw into the key and bear against the key finger for positioning the key in alignment about its pivotal mounting against the tension of the spring 39 for the natural keys and the spring 40 for the sharp keys.

The bass box section [2 has its forward panel formed with a plurality of holes through which the bass keys or buttons 41 extend. Said buttons are shown broken away from the conventional bass action, not shown, and which is supported in the usual manner by the bass valve plate H3. The bass box is formed with an upper shell, end portions and a perforated panel through which the bass keys or buttons extend, but leaving an opening intermediate its ends along the bottom and back side to permit installation, removal and adjustment of the bass action. Said opening is closed by a removable panel 42 having its edges fitted in and secured to the flanged socket 43 surrounding the open- From the foregoing, it will be observed that the major portion of the entire accordion, and particularly the housing, treble keys and treble action, are so devised and constructed as to be stamped or die cast from a suitable metal, such as to impart strength and rigidity and the maintenance of close tolerances. Thus the metal structures comprise the treble box, its valve plate, the gallery, the keybed, keys and key fingers and the bass box including the removable panel 42. There remains therefore only the conventional valves, reed blocks, bass action and bellows to be assembled with the castings or stampings of metal.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an accordion, a metal treble box having integral and angularly extending keybed ends formed therewith, a metal bass box section having an opening provided between its ends and along the bottom and back portions for installation of the bass action, a metal plate conforming to the contour of the bottom and back portions of the bass box and formed to provide a removabl closure therefor, means adapted to removably secure said plate to the bass box and section bellows secured to said respective boxes intermediate thereof.

2. In an accordion, a metal treble box section having integral and angularly extending keybed ends formed therewith and inwardly extending flange portions recessed to receive and center a ported metal valve plate thereon, a key base rail secured to and extending longitudinally thereof between said keybed ends, said rail being slotted to receive and pivotally support a series of pro-formed metal key fingers and their associated keys, and a metal gallery removably secured to said section and extending over said valve plate.

3. In an accordion, a metal treble box section having integral and angularly extending keybed ends formed therewith, a key base rail secured to and extending longitudinally thereof between said keybed ends, said base rail having a series of parallel, transverse slots formed therein, a plurality of metal key fingers having enlarged portions intermediate their ends, said enlarged portions being pivotally supported within said respective slots, a metal key adjustably supported on one end of each of said fingers, and a valve secured to the other end thereof.

4. In an accordion, a metal treble box section having integral and angularly extending keybed ends formed therewith and inwardly extending flange portions, a ported metal treble valve plate removably secured to said flange portions, a slotted key base rail secured to and extending longitudinally thereof between said keybed ends, a series of metal key fingers pivotally supported intermediate their ends within the slots of said rail, metal keys associated with said key fingers respectively to provide a metal keyboard between said keybed ends, valves secured to the respective key fingers on the 0pposite side of their pivotal mounting positioned to control the ports in said valve plate, a cast metal bass section, a bellows removably connecting said treble and bass sections together in operative position, said bass section being provided with a plurality of perforations formed in the forward wall thereof to receive bass section keys and an opening in its bottom and opposite wall extending intermediate its ends for receiving a bass action, and a closure of formed metal for said opening conforming to the general shape of the surrounding portion of the box.

JOHN A. MILLER. 

